The clinical portfolio as an assessment tool.

Portfolio assessment is one of the tools being closely examined in the educational community as a method of authentic assessment. This form of assessment has the unique ability to capture learning over time in a way that tests or grades may not. This article examines how Regents College, a nontraditional assessment-based institution, created a clinical portfolio assessment option for their baccalaureate nursing students. Through self-reflection on their educational and professional experiences, students develop a clinical portfolio that comprehensively illustrates their ability to apply the nursing process and make clinical decisions in practice.